It’d be easy to assume that Philip Noyce‘s The Giver is just another Hunger Games knock-off, given that it’s yet another YA adaptation set in a dystopian universe. But in truth, it’s a film that Jeff Bridges has been working on for almost twenty years — way back before Katniss Everdeen was even a twinkle in Suzanne Collins’ eye. Heck, before J.K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter.

Based on the novel by Lois Lowry, The Giver unfolds in a seemingly utopian society which has not just eliminated, but completely forgotten concepts like war and poverty. When protagonist Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) comes of age, however, he learns that this pain-free existence comes at a cost. He is chosen to bear the burden of remembering the past so that others won’t have to, and begins to receive memories from the Giver (Bridges).

The first images from the film have just been released, and you can check them out after the jump.

As a young bookworm, I was a huge fan of young adult author Lois Lowry; today, as a somewhat less young cinephile, I’m a big fan of actor Jeff Bridges. It therefore gives both my past and present selves great pleasure to report that Bridges and producer Nikki Silver have re-acquired the film rights to Lowry’s dystopian YA classic The Giver. Vadim Perelman (The House of Sand and Fog) is attached to write the script, while Bridges will likely star as the Giver himself. Read more about the project after the jump.